Wilson's Transit Measure Advances Out of Council Committee Intact
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson's proposed transit funding measure made it through close to four full hours of deliberations on potential amendments largely intact Thursday, with proposals to scale back the package's size and duration voted down by councilmembers. That means voters this November are poised to consider a 0.3% sales tax that will extend a full 10 years, increasing Seattle's investments in King County Metro bus service by around 100,000 trips per year while continuing to fund programs like the Seattle Streetcar and the City's low-income ORCA card programs.
Councilmembers did place their stamp on the measure, which would replace a 0.15% sales tax measure, which voters approved by a record-breaking 80% of the vote in 2020. Amendments make explicit that the measure will allow expenditures on late-night bus service and expand free ORCA card access to students at trade schools.
Additionally, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be required to produce reports that look at bus stop spacing and the performance of the free Waterfront Shuttle, and a "midterm evaluation of program spending" will be required in 2032.
But proposals to scale back the measure to 0.225%, shorten it by three years, and add additional requirements for annual council reporting on Seattle Transit Measure expenditures were all defeated. In the end, most councilmembers seemed to be aligned with Wilson when it comes to using this funding source – which has supplemented Metro service hours since 2014 – to get the maximum number of buses onto city streets.
https://www.theurbanist.org/wilsons-transit-measure-advances-out-of-council-committee-intact/